Computerized hazardous material response tool

ABSTRACT

A computer-based method and apparatus for identifying hazardous materials based on observable physical properties and signs and systems of exposure to the hazardous materials. The observable physical properties are obtained by preprocessing plain language data to obtain normalized descriptors and modifiers pertaining to a plurality of properties and signs and symptoms. The normalized descriptors and signs and symptoms are presented to a user in lists for comparison with a sample in the field. Tightly integrated with identifying the hazardous materials are obtaining response data, obtaining controlled materials of which the hazardous materials may be precursors, and predicting reactions of pairs of hazardous materials. The preferred embodiments of the invention are particularly useful to responders to a hazardous waste incident.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/922,347, filed Aug. 19, 2004 and entitled“Computerized Hazardous Material Response Tool”, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/843,757,filed May 11, 2004 and entitled “Computerized Hazardous MaterialResponse Tool”, which claims priority to Provisional U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/469,272, filed on May 12, 2003 and entitled“Portable System for the Rapid Discovery, Classification andIdentification of Hazardous Materials Using a Heuristic Approach Appliedto a Bitmapped Classifier”, the disclosures of which applications areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to a computerized apparatus, method, andsoftware for use in identifying hazardous materials and handlinghazardous materials. The invention is particularly intended for use byresponders to incidents relating to hazardous materials.

Description of the Prior Art

The primary problem addressed by this invention is field response tohazardous material related incidents by emergency first responders suchas law enforcement personnel, fire fighters, hazardous materialsforensics, terrorism response teams, and the like. In order to respondit is necessary to identify the hazardous material involved and findinformation and guidance needed for a safe and effective response.

The tools that are now available derive principally from authoritativedocuments that are provided by Federal Agencies including EPA, NOAA,DOT, NIH, NIOSH and others. The responder's “bible” is probably the DOTEmergency Response Guide (ERG2000), which provides 62 individualresponse guides (orange sheets), each of which deals with a class ofhazardous material that might be a single compound or individualmaterial or a class of materials. The response guides provide safetyrecommendations and response information to protect the responders andthe public. After securing the scene the first step in using the ERG isidentifying the hazards. The ERG recommends placards, container labels,shipping documents, material safety data sheets, and rail car or traileridentification charts and provides indexes to identify the properresponse guide based on these sources. It is necessary to know what amaterial is either by name or identifying numbers to use the ERG.

The original ERG2000 is available in document form and has been portedover to computer-based access including desktop, Pocket PC, and handheldPC platforms such as software known as Hazmatter by Pocket MobilityInc., PEAC® by Arista Tek, Inc., and CoBRA™ by Defense Group, Inc. Someversions have added additional hazardous materials not in ERG andadditional response information. Particularly, CoBRA has responsematerials relevant to terrorism related incidents. Like the originalERG, all of these units require a responder to learn the identity of ahazardous material either by name or identifying numbers or placards inorder to reference the response information. The identification mustcome from external sources.

Another important reference is the EPA and NOAA chemical database thatare available as the Response Information Data Sheets and is alsoavailable in a software version distributed as CAMEO® for desktopWindows and MAC computers having >50 Mb of disk space. This applicationis developed to supply more detailed data particular to individualhazardous materials (a single compound or product), and contains dataabout over 6,000 individual materials, representing over 80,000 synonymsand trade names. The CAMEO product is built on a general-purposedatabase manager (Filemaker™). CAMEO is designed to give firstresponders and planners information about properties of a spilledmaterial and safe response. The underlying database of CAMEO is theEPA/NOAA chemical database that is the primary source of data on thephysical and chemical database. While the CAMEO database manager allowstext searching of the database, the database is not in a form to use thedatabase for identifying an unknown material by observable properties.One reason is that the database doesn't use consistent language toconvey the same or similar meaning. For instance, one material may be“heavier than air”, while another may be “denser than air”, and stillanother may be “more dense than air”. Similarly, some materials may be“crystals”, while others are “crystalline solids” or “crystallinepowder”. Also entering a color may refer to the color of the substanceitself, its flame when burning, or the color of a decomposition product.These data are very useful for confirming a suspected identification.However, it would not be a practical way of quickly identifying anunknown material by observable properties. Notwithstanding the fact thatthe data is in the database, using CAMEO or another text based search ofthe database to identify unknown materials would be a research projectrather than a tool that would be used at an emergency incident. Also,CAMEO, or other text searching with a general-purpose data base manageris too resource intensive for typical handheld computing machines in thefield today, such as 16 MB RAM, using a 16 bit 20 MHz CPU.

Another important capability for first responders to a hazardousmaterials incident is the ability to predict how hazardous materialswill react when mixed together. This is a particularly importantcapability since materials may combine to present much more of a hazardthan the starting materials and in particular may require a responsethat is not foreseen by the conventional response information sheets. Tobe of great value this capability should be tightly integrated with theprocess for identifying hazardous materials at an incident. The NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a systematicmethodology for predicting the reactivity of the over 6,000 materials inthe CAMEO database when taken in pairs. NOAA has made the methodologyavailable for hand calculation and as a worksheet for use on personalcomputers running under Oracle Media Objects Player and is also includedin CAMEO. In neither of these embodiments, however, is the reactivityprediction process tightly coupled and integrated with identification ofunknown materials by observable properties or signs and symptoms ofexposure for the reasons previously mentioned. The use of the NOAAmethodology by these existing embodiments begins with inputting thematerials to be mixed.

Finally, hazardous materials are often associated with terrorist orother controlled activities such as involving the manufacture of illegalor controlled drugs, explosives, or chemical warfare agents. Theprecursor materials are to be found on many lists associated withdifferent types of activities. Examples of such lists are thosepublished by: UNINDCP (UN International Drug Policy Control Group), theUS Drug Enforcement Agency, FBI Explosive Precursors List, UN SecurityCouncil List for Iraq (including Australian Group Protocol and ChemicalWarfare Precursors), and the Environmental Protection Agency list ofChemical Weapons Precursors.

Another approach involves various chemical analytical tools that mightbe useful for chemical analysis, such as ionizing spectrometers,infrared fast Fourier Transforms, mass spectrometry, and the like. Theseare useful devices but require specialized technicians that are oftennot available on first response, but are more practical at a later stageof the response.

What is needed is a computer-based apparatus for identification ofhazardous materials by responders to a hazardous waste incident based onreadily observable properties of the hazardous material.

There is a further need for a computer-based apparatus for providingresponse information needed by responders to a hazardous materialsincident, such information specific to hazardous materials that wereidentified based on their observable properties.

There is a further need for a computer-based apparatus useful inidentifying a hazardous material by signs and symptoms associated withexposure to the hazardous material.

There is a further need for a computer-based apparatus useful foridentifying whether hazardous materials identified by readily observableproperties or signs and systems of exposure are precursors of illegal orcontrolled drugs, explosives, or chemical warfare agents.

There is a further need for a computer-based apparatus useful foridentifying a hazardous material based on observable properties andsigns and symptoms of exposure, and also providing response informationneeded by responders to a hazardous material related incident in asingle tightly integrated apparatus which can be provided as softwareoperable on a variety of general use computer platforms includinglimited performance palm-top devices such as PDAs and smart cell phonesand the like as well as laptop and desktop computers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a computer-based apparatusfor use in identifying hazardous materials based on readily observableproperties of the hazardous material suitable for use by responders to ahazardous materials incident.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a computer-basedapparatus for providing response information needed by responders to ahazardous materials incident, such information specific to hazardousmaterials that were identified based on their observable properties orsigns and symptoms of exposure thereto, said response informationincluding whether any of the hazardous materials are precursors ofillegal or controlled drugs, explosives, or chemical warfare agents.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a computer-basedapparatus useful in predicting whether materials identified by theirobservable properties or signs and symptoms are likely to react in ahazardous way when mixed together.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide acomputer-based apparatus useful for identifying a hazardous materialbased on observable properties and signs and symptoms of exposure, andalso providing response information needed by responders to a hazardousmaterial related incident in a single tightly integrated apparatus whichcan be provided as software operable on a variety of general usecomputer platforms including limited performance palm-top devices, suchas PDAs and smart cell phones and the like, as well as laptop anddesktop computers.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a computer-basedapparatus for use in identifying hazardous materials by first responderswithout scientific or technical training using a palm top or portablecomputer programmed for identifying the material based on readilyobservable properties and common language descriptors.

A first aspect of the invention is a method for preprocessing hazardousmaterial descriptions to render them useful for subsequentidentification of hazardous materials based on hazardous materialsprocessing. There are several standard references that provide data onproperties of hazardous materials, such as the chemical database in TheEnvironmental Protection Agency's CAMEO database (formerly ResponseInformation Data Sheets). Other sources for properties are the USAMRIDfor biological warfare agents. The raw data in these references might besomewhat useful for verifying a suspected identification, but it is notin a form that is readily useful for identifying an unknown hazardousmaterial. There are over 6,000 discreet materials in the CAMEO databasealone representing over 80,000 common and trade names. The plainlanguage descriptions of the materials (such as color or texture of thematerial) are commingled with other properties using the same words. Forinstance, mention of a color might refer to the color of the materialitself, to the color of the flame when the material is burned, or to thecolor of a decomposition product. Also, synonyms are frequently foundand different phrases are used with similar meanings. For instance, onematerial may be “heavier than air”, while another may be “denser thanair”, and still another may be “more dense than air”. Similarly, somematerials may be “crystals”, while others are “crystalline solids” or“crystalline powder”. These factors would make word searches of thedatabases difficult to use for identification of an unknown hazardousmaterial even if a sophisticated database manager was available with askilled user. The data must be preprocessed into useful information, andput into a format from which a user can select the relevant propertieshe observes in the field. A method according to the invention isdescribed in the steps that follow:

-   -   1. contextually parsing plain language descriptions of the        hazardous materials to identify a list of relevant descriptors        and a plurality of modifiers pertaining to observable properties        of the hazardous materials.    -   2. classifying and organizing the descriptors and modifiers into        a plurality of property groups each of which describe a property        of a hazardous material. In the preferred embodiment of the        invention, the properties chosen are color, texture, and odor.    -   3. normalizing the list of descriptors and modifiers by        replacing synonymous words and phrases with consistent        normalized wording.    -   4. assigning unique binary values to each descriptor and each        modifier in each property group, such that one binary value        represents that the descriptor or modifier is “present” in the        description of a particular hazardous material, and the other        binary value indicates that the descriptor or modifier is absent        in the description of the material. Preferably the “present”        value is 1, and the “absent” value is 0. When this step is        completed there are a plurality of property groups (three in the        preferred example) each of which is a sequence of bits in which        each bit represents either one descriptor or one modifier or is        unassigned. A full record comprises one of each of the plurality        of descriptor groups in a predetermined order and represents a        full description of one hazardous material. Also, within each        property group the modifiers are grouped together at one end of        the bit sequence of that group.    -   5. compiling together a computer usable file comprising a        sequence of records, such that each record represents one        hazardous material. In the preferred embodiment, the number of        bits in each property group, is equal to or evenly divisible        into a natural word size of a computer on which the data will be        used. In the preferred example, color and texture have 32 bits        each and odor has 64 bits, so a fixed length record has 128        bits.

Another aspect of the invention is a computerized method for identifyinga hazardous material. The method, implemented in software operating ageneral purpose computer, is preferably intended to run well on aminimal capability handheld or palm computer, typically 16 MB, and a CPUof 20 MHz, and 16 bit CPU, having an input device, an output device, aCPU, and computer memory. It will of course also operate on more capablelaptop or desktop computers. The invention could also be implemented infirmware, in whole or in part, and could be made as a single purposecomputing device. The method is comprised of the steps that follow:

-   -   1. storing a first database in the computer memory. Each record        represents a hazardous material and comprises of a bit sequence        wherein each bit can be assigned either a “present” value or an        “absent” value wherein each bit is either a normalized        descriptor of an observable property of a hazardous material, a        special modifier, or an unassigned position. Preferably the        “present” value is 1, and the “absent” value is 0. In a        preferred embodiment the first database is a sequential list of        fixed length records, such as previously described in the first        aspect of the invention wherein record has a relative position        in the sequential list.    -   2. storing a computer representation in the computer memory, of        response information relevant to use with the hazardous        materials represented in the first sequential list. These        include such information as EPA Response Information Data Sheets        (RIDS), the Department of Transportation Emergency Response        Guides (ERG2000), and the NIOSH Pocket Guides. These response        information are compressed and stored for access according to        the sequential position of the hazardous material to which they        pertain or random access. The storage is preferably such as to        allow display of the data in a format and organization on screen        that is similar to the original source.    -   3. displaying property lists on the computer output device,        preferably the screen, of the type from which a user can make        selections, wherein each property list pertains to one of the        observable properties of hazardous materials in the sequential        list. The choices are either normalized descriptors of the        observable property or special modifiers pertaining to the        observable property. The preferred format for display is pop up        menus.    -   4. accepting one or more selections from a user from one or more        of the property lists and storing the user defined selections in        computer memory in a format compatible with comparison with a        record in the sequential list. As described in the first aspect        of the invention, in the preferred embodiment, the fixed length        records each consist of an ordered sequence of property groups,        each property group is an ordered sequence of bits, each bit        represents the presence or absence of a descriptor or modifier        or is unassigned, and within a property group the modifiers are        grouped together, and the presence of modifiers is optional. The        property groups in the fixed length records correspond to the        property lists displayed, and the descriptors and modifiers on        the property list correspond to descriptor and modifier bits in        property groups. The user-defined selections from each property        list are preferably stored in a bit sequence with the same        sequence as the corresponding property group in the fixed length        records. If a particular property group includes modifiers as        well as descriptors, a user defined selection will consist of a        user defined descriptor bit map and a user-defined modifier        bitmap.    -   5. comparing the user selection with a fixed length record        representing a hazardous material. This step comprises making at        least one bit wise logical comparison between a user defined        selection and fixed length record. Many possible criteria for a        match will be apparent, however it has been found that one        preferred method is of particular value. Based on trials, the        preferred criteria is to consider a material a potential match        to a user selection if for each descriptor group in the fixed        length record that corresponds to a property list from which at        least one selection was made, there is at least one bit with        “present” value that corresponds to a selected bit, if any, in        the user defined descriptor bitmap, and that there is at least        one bit with the “present” value that corresponds to a selected        bit, if any, in the user defined modifier bitmap. This step can        be implemented by making two bitwise AND operations for each        property list from which one or more selections were made. For        either a 16 bit or 32 bit CPU and a 32 bit descriptor list this        is a very search efficient operation, which is important for low        performance hand held computers. This step is repeated for each        hazardous material record in the sequential list and a list of        possibly matching materials is reported to the user on the        display device.    -   6. allowing a user to highlight a possible hazardous material        and select relevant information on response to an incident        involving the highlighted hazardous materials. The data are        extracted from the computer representation of relevant response        information and are displayed in a manner similar to the        original government documents from which the data was extracted.

Having both comprehensive identification and response information forhazardous materials tightly coupled on a single palm held computationaldevice, whereby hazardous materials can be discovered and responseinformation rapidly displayed is a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

An optional, but very useful feature of the method, is identifying ahazardous material by signs and symptoms of exposure to the hazardousmaterial. In the case of signs and symptoms the acts of parsing,classifying, normalizing, assigning and compiling are carried out verymuch as in the first aspect of the invention for observable properties.However, it has been found that the frequency of occurrence of differentsigns and symptoms is very skewed, skewed such that about 20% of thesigns and symptoms are responsible for 80% of the occurrences. Theperformance on a relatively low performance computer can therefore bedramatically improved by listing the bits in a record by order ofoccurrence. There are no modifiers for signs and symptoms. A preferredmethod is compiling a list of sequential records for signs and symptomswith the bits in each record arranged by descending order of frequencyof occurrence, and to report the materials with the highest rank, whererank is the number of matching bits between the user selection and asign/symptom record. The evaluation is carried out by examining therecords one word (32 bits) at a time such that in most cases it will notbe necessary to go beyond the first word of each record. In thepreferred embodiment there are 128 bits per record. The sign/symptomsequential list, the sequential list of records representing physicalproperties, and the computer representation of response information arepreferably all in memory concurrently.

Another very important option of the method is providing capability forpredicting whether mixtures of potential hazardous materials, which havebeen identified using the preceding methods, have the potential to reactin a violent or dangerous way such as detonation, explosion, fire,excessive heat generation, and release of toxic vapors or liquids. TheNOAA has developed a methodology for predicting these reactions forpairs of materials in the CAMEO database. The NOAA methodologycharacterizes each of the materials as having one or more “reactivegroups” from a list that contains 45 reactive groups. Each of the 45reactive groups has been characterized with respect to its potential for26 types of reactions with one of the other 44 reactive groups. Somematerials are also themselves characterized by one or more of ninespecial warnings, such as water-reactive, air-reactive, explosive, etc.

In one preferred embodiment, this feature is added to the method by thefollowing steps:

-   -   1. storing in computer memory a matrix of reaction values, the        reaction values being composed according to a bit map, wherein        at least one bit in the bit map corresponds to the presence or        absence of each of the 26 types of reactions, and wherein the        matrix includes each combination of the 45 reactive groups taken        two at a time;    -   2. storing in computer memory reactive groups values appropriate        for each hazardous material such that each reactive group value        corresponds to one of the 45 reactive groups and each hazardous        material is associated with the reactive group values present        for that hazardous material;    -   3. allowing a user to a select a mixing functionality after a        list of potential hazardous materials has been established and        to highlight two materials from the list;    -   4. looking up the reaction value corresponding to each unique        combination of reactive groups present in the two highlighted        materials;    -   5. Converting each reaction value to the appropriate reaction        types which are indicated according to the bit mask, and        compiling a list of the unique reaction types which characterize        the two highlighted materials; and    -   6. Reporting a list of the indicated reaction types to the        output device.

Another important option of the method is providing capability fordetermining whether potential hazardous materials, which have beenidentified using the preceding methods, are precursors of illegal orcontrolled drugs, explosives or chemical warfare agents. The precursormaterials are found scattered among many sources of interest todifferent authorities. The lists are preferably normalized into broadcategories such as explosives, chemical warfare agents, heroine/cocaineproduction, and methamphetamine production. A single material may be aprecursor for either none, one, or more than one normalized categories.Preferably, the method comprises the steps of associating a precursornumber with each material according to a bit map such that the presenceor absence of each normalized category is represented by the value ofone bit, when a hazardous material is selected notify the user if it isa precursor, when a group of hazardous materials is selected alsocalculate a ranking of the possible normalized categories and report theranking to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of the method of making a database for use in acomputerized tool for identifying hazardous materials according to apreferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a table of preferred values of normalized descriptors andspecial modifiers in the database of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a table of preferred values of classified signs and symptoms.

FIG. 4A is a drawing of a computer suitable for practicing theinvention.

FIG. 4B is a schematic of the computer.

FIG. 4C is a memory card with software instructions and data files forcarrying out the invention.

FIG. 5A is a screen shot of the search mode of a preferred embodiment ofthe invention on startup.

FIG. 5B is a screen shot of the materials identification page.

FIG. 5C is a screen shot of a signs and symptoms identification page.

FIG. 5D is a screen shot of an Emergency Response Guide Orange Sheet.

FIG. 5E is a screen shot showing recommended protection equipment.

FIG. 6A is a screen shot showing the search page when a precursormaterial is entered.

FIG. 6B is a screen shot showing what substances can be made using theprecursor.

FIG. 6C is a screen shot showing selected materials as precursors.

FIG. 6D is a screen showing reactions of a mixture of materials.

FIG. 7 is a table of reactive groups.

FIG. 8 is a table of reaction types.

FIG. 9 is a flow sheet for processing data to identify potentialhazardous materials.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention involves a computerized tool for use in connection withhazardous materials related incidents. While it will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that the invention has a variety of uses, anintended use is for responders to a hazardous materials incident, suchas police, fire, emergency medical personnel, hazmat teams, and thelike.

One aspect of the invention is a hazardous material property database,and a method of making the database for maximum utility for fieldidentification of hazardous materials by responders to hazardous wasteincidents, preferably first responders. Another aspect of the inventionis a computer including data and software instructions in computermemory that allows a user to identify a hazardous material based onobservable physical properties, by choosing descriptors and modifiers ofa physical property from prepared lists of normalized descriptors andmodifiers. Preferably, the user may obtain response information bymarking a hazardous material and selecting the desired type of data.Another aspect of the invention is a method of identifying hazardousmaterials in the form of computer instructions and data files incomputer useable form which when loaded and executed will operate on ageneral purpose computer. A preferred platform is a hand held or palmtop PDA device having less than 16 MB of memory and about 9.8 MB of freememory, and the invention should be capable of operation on such amachine. Such a palm held machine 30 is shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4B showsthe memory 32 and processor 34 in the machine. In the memory is shownthe observable properties database 37, and the signs and symptomsdatabase 38, both of which are composed of sequential records in thepreferred embodiment. Also shown are the response information database39 and the computer program logic 40 in memory. FIG. 4C shows a memorycard 36 with computer programming instructions and data in a computeruseable form for carrying out the invention. It will be understood tothose skilled in the art that computer useable form can also include anyformat appropriate for the computer, including but not limited to allmanner of disks and including transferring files and data over anetwork, by direct connection, or by IR or radio signals.

Important features of a preferred embodiment of the inventionimplemented on a portable handheld PDA include:

-   -   1. ability to identify a hazardous material based on making        selections from pre-prepared lists of including both normalized        descriptors and modifiers relevant to observable properties. The        normalized descriptors and modifiers are derived by contextually        parsing plain language descriptors and profiles of hazardous        materials to identify relevant descriptors and modifiers and        normalizing these to a common lexicon.    -   2. ability to identify a hazardous material based on making        selections from pre-prepared lists of normalized signs and        symptoms of exposure to hazardous materials.    -   3. ability to reference response information needed by a        responder to a hazardous materials incident relevant to an        identified hazardous material.    -   4. data structures and computer logic for storing databases,        facilitating user inputs, and efficiently identifying hazardous        materials from the user inputs.

The invention will now be described in terms of several databases thatmay be included in the invention and how to make them, and the computerlogic and resources to carry out the invention.

Databases

Database of Observable Properties and Method of Making the Database

One component of the invention is a database of observable properties ofhazardous materials organized into a sequential list of fixed lengthrecords for use in a computerized tool for identifying hazardousmaterials. The database format is specially chosen for use in the fieldidentification of hazardous materials in the following ways:

-   -   1. The plain language profiles and descriptions of thousands of        hazardous materials found in government references are        pre-processed into property groups of normalized descriptors and        special modifiers to facilitate their use in identification of        hazardous materials. As used in this patent application a        “normalized descriptor” is defined as an attribute of an        observable property of a hazardous material, that has been        obtained by the steps of contextually parsing a multiplicity of        hazardous material profiles to identify attributes, grouping the        attributes into property groups, identifying synonymous and        similar words and phrases and replacing them with a single        standardized term which is used consistently throughout the        database. Similarly, “special modifiers” is defined as a word        which can under some circumstances describe an attribute of an        observable property of a hazardous material and under other        circumstances describe a hazardous material. For instance for        the observable property color, normalized descriptors might be        red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and colorless, while special        modifiers might be dark, light, pale, and bright. The data are        stored in a compact data structure to where the presence or        absence of each descriptor or special modifier in the        description of a hazardous material is represented by the value        of a single bit (this is equivalent to each descriptor or        modifier being assigned a distinct value that is a power of        two).    -   2. The data are grouped into property groups which have a number        of bits which is preferably a natural word size of the system        (32 bits) so that a selection made by a user can be evaluated        against 32 properties with a single bitwise logical comparison.        This improves performance substantially on low performance        machines.    -   3. All of the above factors, convert data into information to be        efficiently searched without use of a general purpose database        manager, the use of which would prohibit use on low performance        hand held devices.

Each fixed length record represents the properties of one hazardousmaterial and has a relative position in the sequential list. Each fixedlength record consists of a bit sequence where each bit eitherrepresents a normalized descriptor of an observable property, a specialmodifier, or an unassigned space. Each normalized descriptor and eachspecial modifier is represented in the bit sequence as one bit that canhave either a “present” value or an “absent” value, preferably the“present” value is 1 and the “absent” value is 0. Each record has thesame order as to which position represents a particular normalizeddescriptor, special modifier, or unassigned space. Each record ispreferably divided into a plurality of property groups. Each propertygroup is comprised of normalized descriptors relating to the propertygroups and optionally special modifiers. In the preferred embodiment,the property groups are color, texture, and odor. Examples of normalizeddescriptors of color are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, andcolorless; examples of special modifiers are dark, light, pale andbright. Note that special modifiers preferably make sense as either amodifier of a normalized descriptor or as a stand-alone word. Forinstance, it makes sense to have a dark blue material or just a darkmaterial. A preferred list of normalized descriptors and specialmodifiers is given in FIG. 2. The data base is manufactured onto acomputer useable form such as but not limited to a memory card such asthe card 36 in FIG. 4C, for use in a palm top computer, or a file forupload to a computer, or other manufactures that will be well known tothose skilled in the art.

The method of making the database for use in identification of hazardousmaterials is now discussed. The descriptions and profiles of hazardousmaterials are not organized for use in rapid field identifications. Theyare rather intended for use in finding properties of a known materialnot for identifying an unknown material. FIG. 1 is a flow chart of apreferred embodiment of a process for compiling a database for use inthe invention. The steps are as follows:

-   -   1. Using a comprehensive group of hazardous materials from        references such as the EPA/NOAA CAMEO database of over 6,000        hazardous materials, contextually parse the plain language        descriptions of the multiplicity of hazardous materials to        identify a plurality of relevant descriptors and a plurality of        modifiers pertaining to observable properties of the of        hazardous materials (10 and 11). Those skilled in the art will        appreciate that other sources may be available or become        available to supplement or replace the suggested references.    -   2. Normalize the plurality of descriptors and plurality of        modifiers into a common lexicon of normalized descriptors and        special modifiers by replacing synonyms and similar phrases with        normalized wording (12).    -   3. Classify each normalized descriptor and each special modifier        into one of a plurality of descriptor groups, wherein at least        one of the descriptor groups preferably comprises a plurality of        special modifiers. Each descriptor group represents an        observable property. In a preferred embodiment, the descriptor        groups are color, texture, and odor. The normalized descriptors        and special modifiers in the preferred embodiment are listed in        FIG. 2 (14).    -   4. Assign a binary power of 2 to each normalized descriptor and        to each special modifier in each descriptor group, such that        each normalized descriptor and each special modifier in each        descriptor group is represented by exactly one bit and such that        the modifiers are grouped together within each descriptor group.        Since there will be more descriptors than modifiers it is        convenient to assign the modifiers the lowest values in each        descriptor groups, so that each descriptor group that contains        one or more modifiers is a bitmap consisting of a descriptor        portion and a modifier portion. In using the database to        identify a hazardous material by comparing a user made selection        with a record in the database, bits representing normalized        descriptors and special modifiers will be treated separately        (16)    -   5. Assign an order to each of the plurality of descriptor        groups, such that each fixed length record consists of a        sequence of descriptor groups in the order. For instance, in the        preferred embodiment the order is color, texture, and odor (18).    -   6. Assign appropriate values to each descriptor group in each        fixed length record that represents a hazardous material, such        that the sequence of descriptor groups describes the hazardous        material. This is accomplished by assigning each descriptor bit        and each modifier bit as being present or absent in each        descriptor group of a record according to whether it is present        or absent in the description of the hazardous material that the        record represents (20).    -   7. Compile the database into a sequential list of fixed length        records in computer useable form (22).        Optional Signs and Symptoms Database

An optional feature in identification of hazardous materials is theability to identify a hazardous material by signs and symptoms ofexposure to the hazardous material. This may be very useful to a firstresponder who arrives at the scene of an incident and finds victims indistress from exposure to a hazardous material. As with the database ofobservable properties, the signs and symptoms data are preferablyorganized as a sequential list of fixed length records with each bit inthe record representing the presence or absence of one normalized signor a symptom of exposure, or an unassigned space. The signs and symptomsdatabase is compiled in a manner similar to the properties database. Thedatabase is compiled by the following acts:

-   -   1. Gather signs and symptoms for exposure to those hazardous        materials for which it is available. Sources include the EPA        Response Information Data Sheets, National Institutes of Health        National Toxicity Program Database, and the ATSDR database,        preferably in their latest editions or revisions. Those skilled        in the art will appreciate that over time new sources may become        available to supplement or replace the listed items. The        signs/symptoms database has fewer materials listed than the        observable properties database; not every hazardous material in        the properties database has available signs and symptoms of        exposure.    -   2. Normalize signs and symptoms into a common format by        eliminating synonyms and preferably using common language rather        than medical terminology. For instance, tearing can be used to        replace lacrimation, watery eyes, causes tears, watering eyes,        tearing eyes, etc.    -   3. Classify the normalized signs and symptoms into categories.        There are eight categories in the preferred embodiment,        including appearance, respiratory, behavior, cardiovascular,        skin, digestive system, eyes, and temperature. There are 128        signs and symptoms in the preferred embodiment. A table of the        classified signs and symptoms is given in FIG. 3.    -   4. Assign a binary power of two to each sign and symptom, so        that each bit in the record represents the presence or absence        of one sign or symptom. Unlike the properties database, signs        and symptoms are preferably listed in order of frequency of        occurrence rather than by category group. This is because of the        fact that the signs/symptoms data are very skewed, with about        20% of the signs or symptoms accounting for 80% of the        occurrences. If it is desired to quickly search the data for the        most likely hazardous materials corresponding to observed        symptoms, a much more efficient search will be facilitated if        the signs and symptoms are arranged in order of frequency of        occurrence.    -   5. Assign an appropriate value to each bit in each record        corresponding to a hazardous material depending on whether the        assigned sign or symptom is present or absent.    -   6. Compile the database into a sequential list of fixed length        records in computer useable form.        Response Information Database

Once a hazardous material has been identified, it is preferable to beable to display response information that a responder will need tohandle an incident involving the hazardous material. The informationincludes:

-   -   1. Name, synonyms, United Nations Number (UNNA), Chemical        Abstract Service Number (CAS)    -   2. Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG2000)—This is a guidebook        that was prepared by the US Department of Transportation,        Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communication and        Transportation of Mexico. The guidebook contains 62 individual        guides (orange sheets) with safety and emergency response        information for a class of hazardous materials and indexes for        choosing the appropriate index for a particular hazardous        material based on name or identification number.    -   3. EPA/NOAA Response Information Data Sheets (now found in        CAMEO).    -   4. Hazards Overview—Including airborne concentration immediately        dangerous to life and health (IDLH) from NIOSH, EPA and NIH        sources, temporary emergency exposure levels (TEEL), shipping        hazard, water hazard, other hazards.    -   5. Chemical Profile—Text    -   6. Reactive Groups—Forty five reactive groups that can be used        to predict the reactions of pairs of hazardous materials as        described below. Each hazardous material may have one or more        than one reactive group (note that non-reactive and unknown are        “reactive groups”). Each reactive group has a text description.        Use of the reactive groups is discussed later under the section        Reactions Database.    -   7. Physical Properties such as auto ignition, boiling point,        ERPG1, ERPG2, ERPG3 (ERPGx values are maximum allowable air        concentration for x hour exposure without harm), flash point,        lower explosive limit, upper explosive limit, melting point,        specific gravity, temporary emergency exposure limits (1, 2, and        3 hours), vapor pressure, vapor density, ionization potential,        and correction factors    -   8. Emergency Medical Service-signs and symptoms, first aid,    -   9. Protective Clothing—permeation threshold times for various        materials and types of clothing    -   10. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) placard.    -   11. Precursors—Some of the hazardous materials may be precursors        used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, heroine/cocaine,        explosives, or chemical warfare agents. Each hazardous material        may be a precursor of zero, one, or more than one category.

The response information is reduced to compressed form such that can beaccessed for any chosen hazardous material discovered in a propertysearch, signs and symptoms search (if applicable) or search by name,synonym, UNNA or CAS Number. The compression of data is important to theoperation on portable computers, such as hand held or palm topcomputers, since some of the references are large text documents.

The original reference point for each material is the relative positionof the corresponding record in the Observable Properties Database. Thislinks to a master record for every material in the system. The masterrecord allows the program to quickly present an overview of any materialfound in the system. Also, the data found in a master record can be usedas keys into the rest of the data, allowing retrieval of more detaileddata whenever the user requests an appropriate detailed data page. Thereactive groups present in each hazardous material are stored in themaster record, preferably as a bit map wherein one bit represents thepresence or absence of each reactive group, as are the precursorinformation, which is preferably stored as a bit map wherein one bitrepresents the presence or absence of one category.

One particularly large document that is preferably available in memoryis the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG2000). The data records for theERG source alone are 1.58 MB as supplied without display or formattinginstructions. An Acrobat version of ERG2000 is 1.75 MB and 383 pages.The preferred method of storing the ERG is a Hoffman coding technique ofstoring an alphabetically sorted list of each unique sentence in thedocument (there is substantial reuse of sentences), along with indexesand other data needed to re-create the source data in about 234 KB. Themethods of indexing and linking to particular materials are conventionaland well known to computer programmers.

Another area of the data requiring special treatment is providingguidance on chemical protective clothing (whether and how long aparticular material of construction can be counted on to provideprotection for a particular hazardous material). Chemical protectiveclothing source data comes primarily from the NIOSH Pocket Guide, theEPA's RIDS database, and 3M Corporation's Guide to Permeation, whichprovides extensive data regarding their line of chemical protectiveclothing materials, which constitutes approximately 70% of all chemicalprotective clothing/materials. Data sources are provided with differentprecision in different sources. As this system is intended primarily asa field guide for first responders, the data are normalized into broadcategories that will be useful for the intended purpose and also reducethe amount of data required to load into memory. For instance, a firemandoesn't need permeation times broken down by the minute even though thatinformation may be available. The permeation breakthrough data is storedand available for presentation based on twelve categories (stored as 12bits) based on the following categories: No data, <1 hour, 1-−3 hours,at least 3 hours, <1 hour (limited data), 1-3 hours (limited data), atleast 3 hours (limited data), at least 4 hours, at least 5 hours, atleast 6 hours, at least 8 hours, and at least 12 hours. A given chemicalmay have numerous types of chemical protective clothing, in thecategories of garments, gloves, boots, similar fabrics and face-shields.

The sequence number in the Observable Property Database correlates eachto a material. By this manner of data compression the permeationbreakthrough data is reduced from 1 MB to about 68 KB.

Text data such as first aid information, signs and symptoms information,descriptions of reactive groups and description of reactive types areavailable in the literature as free text data from multiple sources. Thetext as supplied is preferably pre-processed and normalized into a setof single line sentences that express all the instructions in theoriginal sources. The normalized sentences are stored in memory alongwith indexes to create the original instructions for each hazardousmaterial.

Physical properties are preferably sorted to identify all the uniquevalues of a given property, and then store indexes to lookup the properdata.

The NFPA hazard code is compressed into one 16 bit word for eachmaterial.

Reaction Database

Another very useful functionality to include in the invention is thecapability to predict whether potential hazardous materials which havebeen identified by observable properties and/or signs and symptoms orotherwise known to be present at a site have the potential to reactviolently, ignite, explode, release toxic gasses or toxic water solubleliquids, etc. This information is crucial for a first responder, becausematerials may combine to be much more hazardous than the individualmaterials themselves.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developeda methodology for predicting these reactions for pairs of materials inthe CAMEO database. The NOAA methodology characterizes each of thematerials as having one or more “reactive groups” from a list thatcontains 45 reactive groups. Each of the 45 reactive groups has beencharacterized with respect to its potential for 26 types of reactionswith one of the other 44 reactive groups. Some materials are alsothemselves characterized by one or more of nine special hazard warnings,such as water-reactive, air-reactive, explosive, etc. The NOAAmethodology is explained on the Office of Response and RestorationInternet Site For Chemical Responders(http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/chemaids.html) and theChemical.Reactivity Worksheet(http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/chemaids/reacthtml) which ishereby incorporated herein by reference, including the Frequently AskedQuestions and Introduction to the Worksheet. The types of reactions arethings like “May cause fire”, “Risk of explosion by shock, friction,fire, or other source of ignition”, “Dangerous heat generation due toheat of solution”, and the like. FIG. 8 shows a list of the currenttypes of reactions taken from the current NOAA worksheet. The types ofreactions are stored in computer memory the form of a reactions bitmapwherein the presence or absence of each of the 26 reaction types isdenoted by the value of one of the bits. Preferably a 32 bit integervariable is used to store a reaction bitmap for speed of access inmachines with 16 bit or 32 bit word length.

The NOAA methodology uses 45 reactive groups, such as “Acids, inorganicnon-oxidizing”, “Acids, inorganic oxidizing”, “Carboxylic Acids”,“Alcohols or Polyols”, “Bases”, “ether”, “esters”, and the like. The 45reactive groups in the current version of the NOAA worksheet are listedin FIG. 7. Each hazardous material may have one or more than onereactive group (note however that “non-reactive” and “unknown” areconsidered reactive groups). The reactive groups which characterize eachmaterial are stored as a bit map where the presence or absence of eachof the 45 reactive groups is represented by one bit in the bit map.Preferably a 64 bit integer variable or two 32 bit integers are used tostore the bit map in computer memory.

The reaction database comprises a matrix with a cell for each uniquepermutation of the 45 reactive groups taken two at a time. A preferredway to store the reaction database is half of a 45×45 square matrix witha reactions bit map in every cell. Thus cell (x,y) would have stored areactions bit map that had a “present” bit set for each reactionpossible between reactive group x and reactive group y. It is notnecessary to store the entire matrix in memory because (x,y)=(y,x).

Precursors Database

Many of the hazardous materials in the observable properties databasewill be possible precursors of controlled materials that a firstresponder would like to be aware of. By way of example, these controlledmaterials include illegal or controlled drugs, explosives, and chemicalwarfare agents. In a preferred embodiment, illegal drugs are furtherdivided into methamphetamines and heroin/cocaine. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that other categories may also be included. Theprecursor lists are available from many sources, too many to be readilyreferred to by a first responder at an emergency incident. Some of thepreferred references are as follows:

-   -   1. United Nations International Drug Control Program    -   2. United Nations Drug Control Program    -   3. United States Drug Enforcement Agency    -   4. United Nations Security Council Resolution of 1995 (Iraq)    -   5. Australia Group (Chemical Warfare Precursors)    -   6. FBI Community Outreach List (explosives)    -   7. Drug Enforcement Agency Controlled Substances Lists I and II    -   8. United States EPA (explosives and chemical warfare        precursors)

The various lists are compiled to identify precursors of the desiredtypes (methamphetamine, heroin/cocaine, explosives and chemical warfare)and then matched against the list of hazardous materials to comprise abitmap for each hazardous material showing which controlled materials,if any, the hazardous material is a precursor of.

Computer Logic

A preferred language for implementation is Java using the Superwabaplatform that is an open source platform for PDA applicationsdevelopment available on the Internet at www.superwaba.com.br, whichsite is hereby incorporated by reference herein. This platform has aVirtual Machine implemented for windows, Palm OS, Pocket PC (WindowsCE), and Symbian devices.

The computer logic follows the event driven model, where the events areinitiated by user inputs, in a manner well known to those skilled in theart. In a preferred embodiment implemented on a handheld PDA user inputsare generally made by a stylus and touch sensitive screen, and output isshown on the screen. This is probably the most convenient platform foran emergency responder and it is an important consideration that theinvention be capable of operation on such familiar handheld units as aPalm OS 3.0 or higher, Microsoft Pocket PC 2002, 2000, HPC211 or PPC211device based on ARM, MIPS, or SH3 processor with 9.8 MB main memoryfree. Of course, it will also operate on Windows NT, ME, 2000, XP, or 98with at least 9.8 MB free disk space, or Linux, Unix or Macintoshcomputers with an installed Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.3 orhigher.

FIG. 5A shows an opening screen 50, for the invention. Note three tabslabeled Search 52, Discovery 54, S&S 55 (Signs and Symptoms) andGlossary 56, with the Search tab 52 chosen as the opening screen. Fromthis screen one can search for a hazardous material by entering its nameor part of its name into input box 58 and pressing GO 60. An ERG GuideNumber, a Guide section, a United Nations number (UNNA) or a ChemicalAbstract Service (CAS) number may be inputted in place of the name. Theresult is reported to results box 59. In search mode a user may selectavailable data for a material by tapping the choose view menu 61. Thisbrings up a pop-up menu of response information that is available forthis material, such as the relevant Emergency Response Guide page,isolation distance, hazards review, reactive groups, material profile,protective clothing, EMS signs and symptoms, and first aid. Tapping theappropriate item causes the computer logic to retrieve the appropriateinformation from the Response Information Database and assemble it onthe output screen. FIG. 5D shows a screen shot of an ERG page and FIG.5E shows a page with recommendations of chemical protective clothing.

A user may shift to discovery mode from this screen by tapping Discoverytab 54 in FIG. 5A. In discovery mode a user is able to identify ahazardous material by observable properties, a capability that is a keyinnovation unique to this invention. FIG. 5B shows the discovery modeinput page, with pop up menus for a user to input properties of color62, texture 64, and odor 66. By tapping any one of these menus a list ofdescriptors and modifiers pops up for selection. The descriptors andmodifiers for each property in a preferred embodiment are shown in FIG.2. These same descriptors and modifiers correspond one to one with thedescriptor groups in the database of observable properties. A user canmake as many choices from each list as she desires. When satisfied withher choices the user should tap the search icon 68. This causes thecomputer logic to form a user-defined bitmap for each list from which atleast one selection was made and store the user-defined list in memory.The user-defined bitmap for a list preferably has the same structure asthe corresponding descriptor group in the database of observableproperties and places the “present” value in the position of each userselection and the “absent” value in all of the other bit positions.Recall that some descriptor groups in the database include bothdescriptors and modifiers, and if so, the modifiers are grouped togetherso that these descriptor groups consist of a descriptor portion and amodifier portion. The same convention is preferably followed in theuser-defined bitmap. The computer logic then compares each user-definedbitmap with each record in the database of observable properties to seeif it matches according to a matching criterion.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many ways tojudge whether a user selection is a “good enough” match to a record inthe database of observable properties to report a hazardous material asa potential match for an observed material. The observable propertydatabase is set up with each bit in a descriptor group, which isassigned, representing either a normalized descriptor or a specialmodifier, and the user-defined selection from a property list whichcorresponds to the descriptor group has the same bitwise structure asthe descriptor group. Therefore, a preferred method of comparing auser-defined selection and a descriptor group is the bitwise logicalAND. For a first bit stream and a second bit stream, each bit streamhaving the same number of bits, and each bit having a position, thebitwise logical AND of the two bit streams returns a 1 for each bitposition where a 1 in the first bit stream is matched by a 1 in thesecond bit stream and returns zero otherwise. For example, 0111 AND 0001equals 0001.

While many criteria are possible, the preferred criterion is aninclusive method that will return excess potential matches at theexpense of not excluding the correct choice. This method was found to bemost useful in testing by first responders. Preferred methods thereforeshould not require that all properties of a material in the database bematched by userobservation.

The preferred method considers a sample material to be a potential matchof hazardous material represented by a record in the database if foreach descriptor group in the record that corresponds to a property listfrom which at least one selection was made, there is at least one bithaving the “present” value that corresponds to a selected bit, if any,in the descriptor portion of user-defined bitmap, and that there is atleast one bit having the “present” value that corresponds to a selectedbit, if any, in the modifier portion of the user-defined modifierbitmap. In the preferred embodiment where the “present” value is 1 andthe “absent” value is 0, for each descriptor group in the record thatcorresponds to a property list from which at least one selection wasmade and therefore having a user-defined bitmap, the logical bitwise ANDis non-zero

-   -   1. between the descriptor portion of the user-defined bitmap and        the descriptor portion of the corresponding descriptor group in        the record, if a descriptor was selected from the property list,        and    -   2. between the modifier portion of the user-defined bitmap and        the modifier portion of the corresponding descriptor group, if a        special modifier was selected from the property list.

This process is repeated for each hazardous material in the observableproperties database and the potentially matching hazardous materials arereported to the user on the output screen. FIG. 9 is a flow diagram ofthe method of comparison.

One interesting property of the preferred matching criterion is that ifonly a modifier and no descriptors are chosen from a property list, themodifier will in effect serve as a descriptor. For instance, in thecolor property list if only “dark” is chosen, any dark material will bea match (recall that a “dark” material will have the “present” value inthe “dark” bit position). Also, if both descriptors and modifiers areselected, there must be at least one match between in both thedescriptor and modifier portions.

Once a list of potentially matching hazardous materials is presented toa user, the user can enter the select choose view icon 61 which makesavailable a pop-up menu of information available on a hazardous materialselected from the list. The information includes information to furtherassist in narrowing the identity of a hazardous material sample, as wellas response information. The information includes items such as therelevant Emergency Response Guide page, isolation distance, hazardsreview, reactive groups, material profile, protective clothing, EMSsigns and symptoms, and first aid. Tapping the appropriate item causesthe computer logic to retrieve the appropriate information from theResponse Information Database and assemble it on the output screen. Forexample, FIG. 5D shows a screen shot of an ERG page and FIG. 5E shows apage with recommendations of chemical protective clothing.

Another very useful feature is to search for a hazardous material bysigns and symptoms of exposure to the material. The event by which auser activates a search by signs and symptoms on a palm top embodimentof the invention is tapping the S&S tab (55) on the opening screenillustrated in FIG. 5A. This brings up a screen 70 illustrated in FIG.5C which lists eight categories of signs and symptoms 72 (five visiblein the figure, the remaining three would be viewed by scrolling down thelist) next to pop up menus 74 for entering individual indicators (signsor symptoms) in each category. The categories and indicators are listedin FIG. 3. As many signs and symptoms could be selected as desired fromeach category. When the selection process is complete, the search eventis initiated by a user tapping the search button 76. This begins thecomputer logic to begin the search.

As was previously described in the section entitled “Optional Signs andSymptoms Database” a slightly different data structure is preferred forsigns and symptoms. Like the observable properties database, thepreferred structure is a sequence of fixed length records, one recordfor each hazardous material, where each bit represents the presence orabsence of one indicator or an unassigned space. In the preferredembodiment each record is 128 bits long, and a present indicator isrepresented by the bit 1 and an absent indicator is represented by thebit 0. Unlike the observable properties database, in the signs andsymptoms data base the bits (representing indicators) are preferably notarranged within a record in groups corresponding to the categoriespresented to a user to make selections, but are rather arranged byfrequency of occurrence. As a consequence the correspondence between bitposition and indicator must be stored in a look up table. Using recordsarranged by frequency of occurrence allows a search strategy thatexploits the observation that the occurrence of the indicators is quiteskewed, with about 80% of the occurrences resulting from only 20% of theindicators.

In the case of signs and symptoms it is therefore preferred to presentthe hazardous materials in rank order, the rank of a material preferablybeing equal to the number of user inputted indicators which are presentin the material. The top ranking 25 materials are reported in thepreferred embodiment. Ranking the materials replaces the comparisoncriteria used in identifying by observable properties. The computerlogic preferably comprises the following steps:

-   -   1. Assembling a user defined indicator bitmap in the same format        as the record bitmap stored in the signs and symptoms database.    -   2. Examining each record, in turn, in the database by examining        the first word in the record by computing a bitwise logical AND        between the first word of the record and the first word of the        user defined indicator bitmap and computing a rank for each        material that equals the number of l's in the logical AND. A        word is preferably 32 bits.    -   3. Arranging the materials in rank order.    -   4. Computing whether it is possible to exceed the rank of the        currently identified 25th ranked material by assuming that all        the bits in the remaining words of the user defined indicator        bitmap which were not matched in the first word would be matched        in the remaining words of the record, and determining whether        with this assumption the rank of the currently 25^(th) ranked        material would be exceeded.    -   5. If not possible stop and report the top 25 materials,        otherwise repeat steps 2, 3, 4 for the second word of each        record and if necessary beyond to the third and forth word.

It has been found that in most cases it is not necessary to go beyondthe first word, and that in most cases the performance is greatlyspeeded up, particularly on low speed palmtops and cell phones. When theprocess is complete, the results are reported in the results box 77.Note that to the left of each material is are a group of boxes 78 whichgive an indication of relative rank based on the number of boxes.

FIG. 6A shows a screen shot of the search page of an embodiment wherethe precursor and mixing option is implemented. In particular, thematerial acetone is selected in selection box 80. When the “Go” button82 is pressed a “Precursor” alert button 83 goes on to show that acetoneis a precursor. Moving to FIG. 6B, after the “Precursor” button waspressed, a block 84 opens showing that acetone is a possible precursorof several controlled materials, heroin/cocaine, methamphetamine, andexplosives.

The computer logic is simply to check whether the precursors of ahazardous material is non-zero when a material is selected on the searchpage and if so display the “Precursor” button. If the button is pressed,then retrieve the precursor bitmap for that material, interpret it tofind out which bits are non-zero, and display the corresponding classesof controlled materials.

FIG. 6C shows a screen shot in the “Mix Tab” 86 view. The Mix Tab showsa list 88 of recently examined materials identified by searching,discovery, or signs and symptoms. Note that there are two options on theMix Tab view which can be chosen by making a selection from pull downmenu 90. Note that “Mix Precursors” is chosen (the other choice is“Model Reactivity” which is discussed below. In this mode, any number ofmaterials can be selected by highlighting. The highlighted selections onFIG. 6C are acetone and chlorine. For information, chlorine is aprecursor of chemical agents only. Note that the Precursor Outcomes arelisted in Box 92, as follows: Chem/WMD (1), Explosives (1),Heroin/Cocaine (1), and Methamphetamine (1). The Chem/WMD (chemicalweapons of mass destruction) came from Chlorine while Heroine/Cocaine,Methamphetamine, and Explosives came from acetone. In general, therewill be one count (the integer after the class of substance) for eachoccurrence of the class. Thus if, as a hypothetical, chlorine was also aprecursor of explosives (which it isn't) the count for explosives would2, and would appear as Explosives (2). Note the graphic on the bottom ofthe page is a pie chart showing that there are four precursorpossibilities of equal probability (they are color coded to match thecolors of the precursor words). In the hypothetical, Explosives would bea 144 sector (⅖ of 360) and the other components would be 72° sectors.

FIG. 6D shows a screen shot of the Mix Tab view when the other option,“Model Reactivity” is chosen from pull down menu 90. In this view it ispossible to see the possible reactions of two materials selected byhighlighting the list. Note that while any number of materials could beselected in the “Mix Precursors” option only two selections will beaccepted in the “Model Reactivity” option. This is because theunderlying NOAA reaction model only evaluates two materials at a time.Note in FIG. 6D that again acetone and chlorine are selected. Themixture hazards for mixing acetone and chlorine are displayed:

-   -   1. Heat generated by chemical reaction may initiate explosion.    -   2. Heat generated by chemical reaction may cause pressurization.

The program also lists three special warnings which apply to acetone andchlorine individually. These are:

-   -   1. Highly Flammable (acetone)    -   2. Strong Oxidizing Agent (chlorine)    -   3. Water Reactive (chlorine)

The computer logic looks up the reactive group bitmap for each selectedmaterial and determines the reactive groups present in each material. Itthen looks up the reactions bitmap in the reactions database for eachunique permutation of the reactive groups in one material against thereactive groups in the other material. The reactions of the mixture areall of the unique reactions of the two materials.

It will be appreciated that the preferred embodiments described providea computer based apparatus for identifying hazardous materials based ontheir observable properties and signs and symptoms of exposure to them.Once a material is identified, the information needed for response to anincident involving the material can be obtained. The preferredembodiments can be operated on palm and handheld PDA's and similardevices as well as desktop computers. The preferred embodiments dependon converting data available in authoritative sources into usefulinformation presented to a user in a form where he can make selectionsleading to a successful identification. The acts of identifyinghazardous materials, finding response information, precursor informationand mixture information is tightly coupled and integrated.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions arepossible. Therefore the spirit and scope of the appended claims shouldnot be limited to the preferred versions herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-storage medium storingcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computersystem to perform a computer-implemented method comprising: determiningthe presence of at least one hazardous material based at least in parton digital comparisons of at least one digital representation associatedwith at least one user defined selection from a displayable list and aplurality of records associated with a plurality of hazardous materials,the plurality of records being a data set stored in a database, eachrecord of the plurality of records associated with a hazardous materialassociated with at least one of normalized descriptors of observableproperties or normalized symptoms of exposure, the plurality of recordsincluding at least one stored record associated with the at least onehazardous material, the at least one stored record having digitalinformation associated with at least one of normalized descriptors ofobservable properties of the at least one hazardous material ornormalized symptoms of exposure to the at least one hazardous materialand comprising a bit sequence common to the plurality of recordsassociated with plurality of hazardous materials, the normalizeddescriptors based on parsing, classification, and normalization of plainlanguage descriptions of the observable properties and the normalizedsymptoms based on parsing, classification, and normalization of plainlanguage descriptions of the symptoms, wherein the plain languagedescriptions of observable properties and the plain languagedescriptions of symptoms are not normalized, wherein the at least onestored record having digital information is further associated with atleast one special modifier that describes at least one normalizeddescriptor of the normalized descriptors of observable properties of theat least one hazardous material or the at least one hazardous material,wherein each record of the plurality of records is associated with ahazardous material and a corresponding bit sequence, each bit of atleast a portion of the bit sequence representing a particular normalizeddescriptor of an observable property, a particular special modifier thatdescribes a normalized descriptor of the hazardous material or thehazardous material, or a particular normalized symptom of exposureassociated with the hazardous material, and a value of the bitindicating a presence or absence of the particular normalizeddescriptor, the particular special modifier, or the particularnormalized symptom, wherein each bit of the portion of the bit sequencerepresenting a particular normalized descriptor is associated with apresence or absence of a color, a texture, or an odor, wherein each bitof the portion of the bit sequence representing a particular normalizedsymptom is associated with a presence or absence of a sign or symptomrelating to appearance, cardiovascular, eyes, respiratory, skin,behavior, digestive system, and temperature; providing for presentationto a first responder associated with a hazardous material emergency anindication of the at least one hazardous material for selection andresponse information including at least one of an Emergency ResponseGuide, isolation distance, or reactive groups; determining a controlledsubstance of which a selected hazardous material is a chemicalprecursor; and providing for presentation the controlled substance tothe first responder associated with the hazardous material emergency. 2.The computer-storage medium of claim 1 wherein the response informationfurther includes at least one of hazards overview, material profile,protective clothing, EMS signs and symptoms, and first aid.
 3. Thecomputer-storage medium of claim 1 further comprising displaying theresponse information for the selected hazardous material.
 4. Thecomputer-storage medium of claim 1 further comprising identifying theselected hazardous material based on entry of a plain language name ofthe hazardous material.
 5. The computer-storage medium of claim 1further comprising searching the selected hazardous material based onentry of at least one of an ERG number, a United Nations (UNNA) number,a Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) number, or a chemical formula withoutselection of a data type of the entry by the first responder associatedwith the hazardous material emergency.
 6. The computer-storage medium ofclaim 1 wherein the controlled substance is within a class of controlledsubstances including at least one of chemical warfare agents, illegaldrugs, and explosives.
 7. The computer-storage medium of claim 1 furthercomprising: determining reaction results of a mixture of at least twohazardous materials; and displaying the reaction results.
 8. A systemcomprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing instructionsconfigured to instruct the at least one processor to perform:determining the presence of at least one hazardous material based atleast in part on digital comparisons of at least one digitalrepresentation associated with at least one user defined selection froma displayable list and a plurality of records associated with aplurality of hazardous materials, the plurality of records being a dataset stored in a database, each record of the plurality of recordsassociated with a hazardous material associated with at least one ofnormalized descriptors of observable properties or normalized symptomsof exposure, the plurality of records including at least one storedrecord associated with the at least one hazardous material, the at leastone stored record having digital information associated with at leastone of normalized descriptors of observable properties of the at leastone hazardous material or normalized symptoms of exposure to the atleast one hazardous material and comprising a bit sequence common to theplurality of records associated with the plurality of hazardousmaterials, the normalized descriptors based on parsing, classification,and normalization of plain language descriptions of the observableproperties and the normalized symptoms based on parsing, classification,and normalization of plain language descriptions of the symptoms,wherein the plain language descriptions of observable properties and theplain language descriptions of symptoms are not normalized, wherein theat least one stored record having digital information is furtherassociated with at least one special modifier that describes at leastone normalized descriptor of the normalized descriptors of observableproperties of the at least one hazardous material or the at least onehazardous material, wherein each record of the plurality of records isassociated with a hazardous material and a corresponding bit sequence,each bit of at least a portion of the bit sequence representing aparticular normalized descriptor of an observable property, a particularspecial modifier that describes a normalized descriptor of the hazardousmaterial or the hazardous material, or a particular normalized symptomof exposure associated with the hazardous material, and a value of thebit indicating a presence or absence of the particular normalizeddescriptor, the particular special modifier, or the particularnormalized symptom, wherein each bit of the portion of the bit sequencerepresenting a particular normalized descriptor is associated with apresence or absence of a color, a texture, or an odor, wherein each bitof the portion of the bit sequence representing a particular normalizedsymptom is associated with a presence or absence of a sign or symptomrelating to appearance, cardiovascular, eyes, respiratory, skin,behavior, digestive system, or temperature; providing for presentationto a first responder associated with a hazardous material emergency anindication of the at least one hazardous material for selection andresponse information including at least one of an Emergency ResponseGuide, isolation distance, or reactive groups; determining a controlledsubstance of which a selected hazardous material is a chemicalprecursor; and providing for presentation the controlled substance tothe first responder associated with the hazardous material emergency. 9.The system of claim 8 wherein the controlled substance is within a classof controlled substances including at least one of chemical warfareagents, illegal drugs, and explosives.
 10. The system of claim 8 whereinthe instructions are further configured to instruct the at least oneprocessor to perform: determining reaction results of a mixture of atleast two hazardous materials; and displaying the reaction results. 11.A computer implemented method comprising: determining, via at least onecomputing device, the presence of at least one hazardous material basedat least in part on a digital comparison of at least one digitalrepresentation associated with at least one user defined selection froma displayable list and a plurality of records associated with aplurality of hazardous materials, the plurality of records being a dataset stored in a database and each record of the plurality of recordsassociated with at least one of normalized descriptors of observableproperties or normalized symptoms of exposure associated with acorresponding hazardous material, the plurality of records including atleast one stored record associated with the at least one hazardousmaterial, the at least one stored record having digital informationassociated with at least one of normalized descriptors of observableproperties of the at least one hazardous material or normalized symptomsof exposure to the at least one hazardous material and comprising a bitsequence common to the plurality of records associated with theplurality of hazardous materials, the normalized descriptors based onparsing, classification, and normalization of plain languagedescriptions of the observable properties and the normalized symptomsbased on parsing, classification, and normalization of plain languagedescriptions of the symptoms, wherein the plain language descriptions ofobservable properties and the plain language descriptions of symptomsare not normalized, wherein the at least one stored record havingdigital information is further associated with at least one specialmodifier that describes at least one normalized descriptor of thenormalized descriptors of observable properties of the at least onehazardous material or the at least one hazardous material, wherein eachrecord of the plurality of records is associated with a hazardousmaterial and a corresponding bit sequence, each bit of at least aportion of the bit sequence representing a particular normalizeddescriptor of an observable property, a particular special modifier thatdescribes a normalized descriptor of the hazardous material or thehazardous material, or a particular normalized symptom of exposureassociated with the hazardous material, and a value of the bitindicating a presence or absence of the particular normalizeddescriptor, the particular special modifier, or the particularnormalized symptom, wherein each bit of the portion of the bit sequencerepresenting a particular normalized descriptor is associated with apresence or absence of a color, a texture, or an odor, wherein each bitof the portion of the bit sequence representing a particular normalizedsymptom is associated with a presence or absence of a sign or symptomrelating to appearance, cardiovascular, eyes, respiratory, skin,behavior, digestive system, or temperature; providing, via the at leastone computing device, for presentation to a first responder associatedwith a hazardous material emergency an indication of the at least onehazardous material for selection and response information including atleast one of an Emergency Response Guide, isolation distance, orreactive groups; determining, via the at least one computing device, acontrolled substance of which a selected hazardous material is achemical precursor; and providing, via the at least one computingdevice, for presentation the controlled substance to the first responderassociated with the hazardous material emergency.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-storage medium of claim 1 wherein the bit sequence common tothe plurality of records corresponding to the plurality of hazardousmaterials reflects an order of a plurality of bits.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 1 wherein the at leastone digital representation associated with the at least one user definedselection comprises the bit sequence common to the plurality of recordscorresponding to the plurality of hazardous materials, the digitalcomparisons comprising bitwise logical comparisons between values of thebit sequences associated with the plurality of hazardous materials,including the bit sequence associated with the at least one hazardousmaterial, and values of the bit sequence associated with the at leastone user defined selection.
 14. The computer-storage medium of claim 1wherein the list comprises at least one normalized descriptor ofobservable properties of the at least one hazardous material and atleast one special modifier associated with the at least one normalizeddescriptor.
 15. The computer-storage medium of claim 1 wherein the dataset of the plurality of records associated with the plurality ofhazardous materials describes at least 100 hazardous materials.
 16. Thecomputer-storage medium of claim 1 wherein the at least one hazardousmaterial is associated with a precursor that is not regulated orcontrolled.
 17. The computer-storage medium of claim 1 wherein at leastone of a) the controlled substance of which the selected hazardousmaterial is a chemical precursor or b) a chemical reaction resultingfrom a combination of the selected hazardous material is more chemicallyunstable than the selected hazardous material by itself.